


5 times Stiles took care of Derek's injuries and 1 time he didn't have to

by trilliastra



Series: Tumblr Fics [69]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: (not graphic), 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, mentions of injuries and blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2019-01-05 20:36:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12196980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trilliastra/pseuds/trilliastra
Summary: “I’m going to lock you up.” Stiles groans, watching as the wound begins to heal itself. “You’re going to be safe. You’re going to be really safe. The safest.” Derek begins to stir just as Scott sends the last hunter away. “Asshole.” Stiles adds for good measure and Derek slowly opens his eyes.“Wha –”“You can’t do that anymore.” Stiles points his finger at Derek’s face, heart pounding as he feels himself tear up. Why can’t Derek just stop? He’s going to get himself killed and that’s going to end up killing Stiles too. “I won’t let you.”He ignores the fear, the shame and his own self-preservation instincts. Derek needs to know that someone cares about him, that someone loves him. Someone wants him to be happy.





	5 times Stiles took care of Derek's injuries and 1 time he didn't have to

_1._

It’s ridiculous how often Derek gets hurt. And it’s also very sad.

He’s always jumping in front of bullets and going to fight vampires without telling anyone and there was this one time he literally knocked Scott out so he could go fight a deadly kelpie by himself.

“This is bullshit.” Stiles yells. No one will listen to him anyway, least of all Derek who’s lying unconscious on the ground.

 _Again_.

“So much bullshit.” He presses his jacket against the wound, glares at Derek’s stupid face. Even passed out he looks in pain. “You’re ridiculous, did you know that? You just have to keep sacrificing yourself. I don’t like it.”

“Here!” Scott throws the hunter’s gun towards Stiles and he reaches out for it immediately, taking the bullet and pressing the burnt wolfsbane against Derek’s shoulder – for the second time this  _month_.

“I’m going to lock you up.” Stiles groans, watching as the wound begins to heal itself. “You’re going to be safe. You’re going to be really safe. The safest.” Derek begins to stir just as Scott sends the last hunter away. “Asshole.” Stiles adds for good measure and Derek slowly opens his eyes.

“Wha –”

“You can’t do that anymore.” Stiles points his finger at Derek’s face, heart pounding as he feels himself tear up. Why can’t Derek just stop? He’s going to get himself killed and that’s going to end up killing Stiles too. “I won’t let you.”

He ignores the fear, the shame and his own self-preservation instincts. Derek needs to know that someone  _cares_  about him, that someone loves him. Someone wants him to be happy.

“Stiles,” Derek blinks, tries to sit up. Stiles only pushes him down again.

“Stop it.” Stiles says, runs a hand through Derek’s hair. “Stop trying to die.” He sniffs, ignoring Derek’s shocked expression. “You’re not alone anymore. You have people that care about you.” He takes a deep breath and adds. “That love you.” Derek lets out a quiet ‘oh’ and Stiles smiles sadly. He presses a kiss to Derek’s temple and stands up. “Please.” He adds softly.

He shares a meaningful look with Scott before turning to his Jeep and driving away, tears spilling down his face as he goes home.

_2._

Stiles has been in love with Derek for five years. Well, at least that’s what he tells himself. It could be seven, eight, maybe. He can’t be sure – too much happened when he was still a teenager for him to pay attention to his feelings.

So the point is – Stiles loves Derek. A lot. Maybe too much to be healthy. Enough to be a pain in his ass. Because there isn’t a thing Stiles wouldn’t do when he gets a text from Derek two days after his embarrassing love confession saying 'help’ and 'at the loft’.

He really didn’t know what to expect, but opening the door to find Derek covered in scratch marks didn’t even make the top ten.

“What?” Stiles blinks. “A kelpie again?”

“A cat.” Derek answers, gesturing to the tiny ball of fluff curled up on the couch.

“ _What_.” Stiles repeats, staring at the cat dubiously. “But –”

“I found her in the woods after –” Derek cuts himself, pointedly avoiding Stiles’ eyes. So he remembers, Stiles takes a deep breath. “Anyway, I need to buy some stuff for her and I don’t want to leave her alone.”

“Oh.” Stiles nods. So they are just going to ignore it, apparently. He swallows, tells himself it doesn’t matter. He wasn’t expecting Derek to feel the same, he just wanted him to know. Just needed him to understand. “Okay, I guess.” He walks towards the couch, smiles softly when the black kitten meows at him. “Hi, baby.” He pets her head softly, laughs when she leans into it happily.

“Deaton said she’s two months.” Derek says, suddenly next to him.

Stiles holds back a shiver. “She’s so teeny-tiny.” He forces a smile and looks up at Derek, meaning to reassure him he’ll take care of the kitten, only to frown when he notices a cut on his left cheek. “You’re bleeding.” He reaches out without thinking, wipes the blood with the sleeve of his hoodie.

“Yeah.” Derek whispers, eyes never leaving Stiles’.

“Why?” Stiles bites at his bottom lip, heart beating fast.

“Because I felt guilty.” Derek answers. “Because I wanted to say I love you too, but you ran and now…” he reaches out for Stiles’ hand, presses it back against his own cheek.

“Now?” Stiles insists, bringing his other hand to rest on Derek’s chest where he can feel Derek’s heart beating as fast as his. They are so close, breaths mingling, and if Stiles only leaned in –

“Now you’re here. And I can tell you.” Derek smiles softly. “That I will live for you.” Stiles lets out a shuddering breath as he throws his arms over Derek’s shoulders and buries his face against his neck. He never thought he could feel this happy. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Stiles sniffs, presses a kiss against Derek’s neck, feels the cuts and scratches healing under his hands.

_3._

Two weeks into their relationship, Stiles finally realizes Derek’s cutest weakness. The whole pack knows Derek is a light sleeper, they’ve all managed to scare him almost to death at least once. It’s adorable how he’ll jump at the slightest noise and since getting Rae – Derek’s beloved cat – it’s gotten worse. Basically because she knocks down  _anything_  she can. Derek says it’s on purpose, Stiles only laughs and kisses his annoyed expression away.

 _But,_ what Stiles didn’t know is that Derek can fall asleep  _anywhere_. Watching TV? Sure. Reading a book? All the time. Soaking in the bathtub? God, all the sex they’ve missed.

In addition, Derek’s sleeping face is  _Stiles'_ weakness. He just looks peaceful,  _happy_. Stiles got late to work more than once because he’d stayed in bed watching Derek sleep like the lovesick fool he is.

When he lets himself into Derek’s apartment that afternoon, he does it quietly, already expecting Derek to be taking a nap somewhere, with Rae probably curled up on his chest. He’s proven right,  _of course_ , when he walks into the living room and finds his boyfriend on the couch, one of his hands still holding a book. He smiles to himself and turns around, ready to start cooking dinner and let Derek sleep for a few more minutes.

The following events happen in slow-motion. Stiles doesn’t notice Rae sneaking up on him – she’s as quiet as her werewolf owner – and so when he turns, he accidentally steps on her tail. Predictably, she yells bloody-murder and Derek startles awake, trips on the coffee table and lands with his face on the ground with a loud thud.

“Oh my God.” Stiles is still laughing ten minutes later as he throws away the tissues he used to clean the blood out.

“You’re awful.” Derek mumbles. “Both of you.” He adds to Rae, who’s right as rain again and leaning against Stiles’ leg.

“I’m sorry.” Stiles snickers. “But it was pretty funny. I should have taped it.”

“I’m breaking up with you.” Derek shakes his head, flinches when the movement makes his nose hurt. It takes longer to heal broken bones, but at least the bleeding stopped.

“You’re not.” Stiles smiles, presses a kiss on the top of Derek’s head. “You love me.” He sing-songs, blows an exaggerated kiss and before he can turn, Derek’s pulling his hand, forcing him to sit on his lap.

“I do.” He kisses Stiles’ shoulder. “Let’s eat out today.”

Stiles is about to ask why and then he notices Derek’s look and smirks. “Okay.”

_4._

“Let me guess: the supernatural gave us a break, so you got bored and decided to cut your hand yourself?” Derek rolls his eyes and turns his back to Stiles, heading for the bathroom. Stiles follows him. “No, but – why did you decide to fix the chair? You know you’re not allowed near the hammer!”

Derek huffs and slams the door on Stiles’ face.

Stiles leans against the wall and snorts. When people tell him Derek is perfect he agrees easily, because Derek  _is_. He’s a perfect husband, a perfect friend, a perfect neighbor. He’s just not good at fixing things.

It doesn’t stop him from trying though.

Stiles hears a grunt and tries again, “hey, you need help from someone who’s never gotten hurt while changing the light bulbs?”

Derek opens the door suddenly, towel wrapped around his hand. “You kicked the ladder and you know it.” He glares.

Stiles bites at his lower lip, barely resisting the urge to laugh. “ _Accidentally_  kicked the ladder.”

“Whatever.” Derek mutters, turning back to the sink. “There’s something inside.” Derek says, removing the towel. “It can’t heal properly.”

Stiles walks closer, takes Derek’s hand in his and inspects the wound carefully. “Okay,” he takes the first-aid kit from under the sink – the one Derek bought for  _Stiles_ , how ironic – and starts to clean the wound. Derek hisses as Stiles finally removes the splinter and the wound begins to heal normally _._

“There, there.” Stiles smiles up at his husband, presses a kiss on Derek’s hand. “All good?”

“You’re ridiculous.” Derek says but his smile betrays the words.

“You still married me.” He never gets tired of saying it, of bragging about his husband to everyone, of dreaming about their future together. “Two years ago.” He adds.

Derek’s smile gets wider. “Two and a half.”

“Two years, six months and three days.”

“Oh my God.” Derek laughs. “You’ll still be doing that when we’re sixty, won’t you?”

Stiles presses himself against Derek’s chest, takes in Derek’s smell and the comfort of his arms around him. Another forty years with Derek? Yeah, he can’t wait.

_5._

He drives to his dad’s house almost on autopilot, feeling sad and disappointed. Hopeless.

“Son?” His dad rushes to meet him by the front door, concern written all over his face. “What happened?”

“Are we cursed, dad?” Stiles cries out, slumping against his dad’s chest. “Or the universe just hates us?”

“Stiles…” His dad whispers, holding Stiles even tighter and dragging him to the couch where Stiles just keeps crying.

They were so happy, so hopeful. They just want a kid, their own baby.

“I can’t even look at him right now, dad.” Stiles whispers. “He was so excited.”

“It takes time, Stiles.” His dad assures. “You just have to keep trying.”

“It’s been three years already. The room is ready!”

“It will happen. Keep the room.” His dad kisses the top of is head. “For luck.”

Stiles manages to snort at that, his dad has magical healing words.

–

When Stiles gets home a few hours later, Derek is still nowhere to be seen. They both have their own ways of dealing with the disappointment and Stiles hates to leave him alone at moments like this, but sometimes Derek needs time, needs to go into the woods and knock down some trees. Usually after a couple of hours he’s back, safe and sound.

Today is not one of those days.

“Derek?” Stiles calls, heading through the path that leads to the woods. The answer is a weak 'I’m here’ coming from his left and Stiles doesn’t have to walk much to find Derek sitting next to what used to be a pine tree.

“It will happen to us, right?” It’s the first thing Derek asks when Stiles sits next to him, taking Derek’s discarded shirt to wipe at the blood covering his chest.

“I hope so.” Stiles says. He wishes he could offer words of comfort, but it would be just lies. And he never lies to Derek. “I’m scared too.” He whispers.

Derek leans his head against Stiles’ shoulder. His hands are bleeding too, so Stiles takes them and keeps cleaning the blood. He didn’t have to do this, but Derek likes to know he’s being taken care of, that Stiles will always look out for him even though Derek is the one with the supernatural healing powers.

“But we can’t give up.” He keeps saying. “There’s a kid out there who needs us. That I’m sure.”

Derek sighs, throws an arm over Stiles’ shoulder and hugs him. They only get up when the sun begins to set, heading home hand in hand - a strong unit, giving each other hope.

_+1_

“I’m home!” Stiles calls out, stomach grumbling as he smells food cooking. Derek’s gotten better with time, but they still eat take out most days.

“In the kitchen!” Derek yells back.

“Don’t move, papa!” Stiles hears their kid admonish and he snorts. Jack is beginning to sound like him.

“Hi.” Stiles says, walking into the room to find Derek sitting on the floor with Jack standing in front of him, staring intently at Derek’s hand. “What happened here?”

“Papa cut himself.” Jack says, smiling at Stiles. “Hi, dad.”

“Hi, buddy.” Stiles kisses the top of his head, then kisses Derek’s cheek, sharing a knowing look with his husband. “Want me to finish it for you?”

“Nah.” Jack answers, sticking a butterfly band-aid over Derek’s finger and kissing it. “There.” He beams up at them, proud of his skills.

Derek smiles back. “Thank you.” He holds his arms open and Jack all but jumps on him.

This is his family, Stiles thinks. This is his life.

He throws himself at the hug, Jack laughing happily when they all tumble to the floor in a mess of limbs.

This is  _their_ family, he smiles when he catches Derek’s eye. This is  _their_  life.


End file.
